hello. this is breakfast, with naga munchetty and jon kay. the raf becomes the first british military service to allow women to serve in every role. from today, they can apply for combat duties on the frontline. the army and royal marines will follow next year. good morning, it's friday the 1st of september. also this morning: the birmingham bin strike is back on. some workers have been issued with redundancy notices and there are fears that mountains of waste will start piling up on the streets again. customers are told to "suck it up", as the eu bans vacuum cleaners which are too noisy or powerful. the hop harvest is getting under way this week and it's set to be a bumper year.

but with prices rising around the world, what will it all mean for britain's expanding craft beer industry? i'll be finding out later. alexis sanchez's deal to go to arsenal has fourth —— fallen through as the transfer window closes. and we catch up on plans to create the world's longest coastal path around the whole of england. will you be doing it under good weather? and matt has the weather. it is the start of autumn and there isa it is the start of autumn and there is a chill in the air. if you are going to have a walk, lots of good weather on the way. more details coming up. good morning. first, our main story. the raf is now the first branch of the british military to open every role in the service to women. from today, they can apply

tojoin the raf regiment, a frontline combat force whose main task is to patrol and protect air—fields. the defence secretary, sir michael fallon, has described the move, which is a year ahead of schedule, as a defining moment for the raf. our news correspondent mark lobel reports. this is significant moment for the raf. the first branch of the british ministry to open up all areas of the service to men and women —— edition military. women can already fly planes. but now they can apply to join the raf‘s currently all male military infantry unit, that patrols and protects airfields. they fought in afghanistan and suffered casualties. the raf regiment is relatively small, just over 2000 strong, and with women making up about 10% of the air force as a whole there is unlikely to be a flood of applications. lastjuly,

former pm david cameron overturned hundreds of years of military tradition to allow women to take up frontline fighting jobs. in april, the royal armoured corps opened its doors to females. pm theresa may was there to witness the graduation at sandhurst of the first recruits. todayit sandhurst of the first recruits. today it is the raf‘s round fighting force opening its doors. by the end of next year, women should be able tojoin the even of next year, women should be able to join the even more of next year, women should be able tojoin the even more physically demanding an infantry unit and the royal marine. —— army infantry. not eve ryo ne welco m es royal marine. —— army infantry. not everyone welcomes these changes, but now potential recruits can take up their rights. millions of people in birmingham could see piles of rubbish mounting in the streets again as bin—workers resume strike action this morning. last month, industrial action was suspended, to allow talks between the council and unions,

but the strike is back on again after the council said it was issuing some redundancy notices. emma thompson reports. as some of discontent for birmingham's binmen. almost two months off an emptied bins is causing chaos for residents. last night they got the new city set to continue. i think it's disgusting how long it has gone on. there's got to bea how long it has gone on. there's got to be a resolution that they can come too quickly. i think it's a service that's underappreciated and i think they do a great job and i think the cuts are necessary, really. the streets have been smelling very badly and somehow there's got to be a way of reaching a compromise. a council statement confirmed that all great read in staff would be issued with redundancy notices today. the council's leader in sis staff will be offered alternative roles of the same pay. united says this move is deeply provocative and members will

return to the picket lines today. they can't screw the agreement up. we honour —— honoured our side and we wa nt we honour —— honoured our side and we want the industrial action to stop permanently. if a ballot of union members approves it, the strike would continue until christmas. —— could continue. president trump is expected to ask congress for £45 billion of funds to help those affected by storm harvey. the total cost of repairing the damage and compensating residents whose homes have been affected is estimated to be more than £100 billion. some celebrities, such as singer beyonce, actors sandra bullock and leonardo dicaprio, have promised to contribute to a disaster fund. president trump says he will give $1 million of his own money. he plans to return to texas tomorrow. the uk must not allow itself to be blackmailed by the eu over its brexit "divorce bill" in order to start trade talks, international trade secretary liam fox has said. businesses have become impatient

with the slow progress of the negotiations. it is clear that this is notjust in europe but places like injapan are getting impatient. they want to see what the final shape of that arrangement will be. want to know that there will continue to be an open and liberal trading environment in europe and there is a worry that if it is not the sort of agreement britain wants you could end up with impediments to trade and it is on the cross europe. we can speak now to our political correspondent iain watson. there seems to be more frustration, oi’ there seems to be more frustration, or frustration again there seems to be more frustration, orfrustration again on there seems to be more frustration, or frustration again on both sides of this negotiation? that's been a co nsta nt of this negotiation? that's been a constant feature so far. we heard from liam fox about the frustration and impatience that businesses felt. they aren't the only ones. yesterday in brussels there was a touchy press

conference. michel barnier suggested there was no decisive progress made on key issues and also that he thought there was some —— they were some way off in these negotiations, to include talks about future trade relationships between britain and the eu. this is something ministers are the eu. this is something ministers a re really the eu. this is something ministers are really quite keen to discuss precisely, to help address some businesses' concerns. a pretty strong sign of that frustration came from liam fox, about that visit to japan, effectively a trade delegation to japan, when he suggested that i'm rico hizon in —— that britain shouldn't be blackmailed into an unfettered divorce bill as a price to get into those trade talks. i'm not sure how that will go down in brussels, at any of the tensions that were obvious in that relationship retain britain and the eu may be lessened if the eu were to widen those

negotiations and talk about trade, without suggesting that further progress has been made on how much britain should cop up as a price for leaving the eu —— cough up. britain should cop up as a price for leaving the eu -- cough up. thank you. see you soon. nearly half of low—paid parents are struggling tojuggle nearly half of low—paid parents are struggling to juggle childcare and work. researchers found in regular hours we re researchers found in regular hours were to blame, with many working pa rents were to blame, with many working parents feeling at the mercy of employers could change their hours at short notice. hi, boys! it's the end of the day. kiera'sjust got back from work and all of her kids are finally home too. show me. what's it do? a precious few minutes before they are off to bed. kiera is self—employed and works in it. she and her partner from hertfordshire earn between them less than £28,000 a year. juggling child care and work is a daily battle. i can be at home with my children, enjoying my life with them,

when instead i'm running around trains, hoping and praying that my train isn't late or delayed or cancelled. kiera's experience isn't unique, judging by today's survey conducted on behalf of by the tuc. nearly half of low—paid young parents are struggling to manage work and child care. 42% felt penalised at work when they asked for flexibility. some were given fewer hours or even lost theirjobs as a result. nearly a third had resorted to taking annual leave to cover their child being sick. achieving a good work—life balance can be hard for any parent. this survey highlights just how difficult it is for families on low incomes — many of them don't even know what their parental rights are. lie down. up you go. kiera's shift pattern is regular, although she is still often working after the kids go to bed.

the tuc wants everyone at work to get the same parental rights from day one, and to be made aware of them. german police will evacuate about 70,000 people from their homes on sunday, after an unexploded world war ii bomb was discovered frankfurt. it will be one of the biggest operations of its kind in germany since the war. the 1.5 tonne british bomb was nicknamed the blockbuster as it was able to wipe out whole streets. frankfurt university, the european central bank and nearby hospitals will also be evacuated. sales of noisy and more powerful vacuum cleaners are to be restricted under eu rules from today. machines using more than 900—watts and emitting more than 80—decibels will be banned from sale when existing stocks run out. 0ur environment analyst roger harrabin reports. some of these vacuum cleaners will

be on the banned list from today. they guzzled too much energy. clea ners they guzzled too much energy. cleaners like this automatic bobble 1100 watts. that's too high for new european standards, so this model is on the way out. anti—eu campaign as a europe should have no say in the sort of vacuum cleaner that you buy. but experts say households can save a small fortune on electricity bills if only the least efficient machines can be driven off the market. there is no dispute that eu standards are forcing down energy use and cutting carbon emissions. but are they really worthwhile? the manufacturers claim they are prepared for it. consumers are really not prepared for the performances they will experience from the machines. so will the uk keep european standards after brexit? the government won't say. we will have to suck it and

see. in about half an hour we have a cleaner coming in and she will talk us cleaner coming in and she will talk us through these differences between the different vacuum cleaners and tell us what she thinks of the new regulations. are you going to be cleaning? no, but i thought she could do some while she is here. a rare hen—harrier being tracked as part of a conservation programme has disappeared on a grouse moor in scotland. the rspb says the bird hasn't been seen since the first day of the official grouse—shooting season and is appealing for anyone with information to get in touch. hen harriers are one of britain's rarest birds and there are only 550 breeding pairs in the uk. it is the first of september. the first day of meteorological autumn. to go with that there's a chill in

the air this morning. the full details on about five minutes. i think good weather is on the way. i think so. they were talking about frost overnight. i wonder how frosty that trans for windows is looking, now that it has closed. good point. —— transfer window. fans know that the record was broken in terms of spending, 200 million... £210 million, but the story this morning is all about the drama surrounding those players who steals didn't go through. we all know the pain if you have bought a house before and your dream house falls route because of a break down in the chain somewhere along the line, that's what happened with sanchez. he has to stay put, even though he told his mates he was going to manchester city. but if you are still in the house that you didn't sell, that's fine.

if you are staying in a team where eve ryo ne if you are staying in a team where everyone knows you wanted to go, that will be quite awkward. and yourfans that will be quite awkward. and your fans know you wanted to leave. you can change that if you knuckle down and put in some good performances. but it was a transfer deadline evening that promised so much drama, but in the end most expensive players ended up staying put. alexis sanchez has made it known he wanted to leave arsenal and, yesterday, even told friends he'd got his big move to manchester city, but because his chosen replacement, thomas lamar of monaco, said no, it all fell through. but the biggest premier league deal of the day did involve an arsenal player, alex 0xlade—chamberlain, who moved to liverpool for £35 million. the same price that chelsea paid last night for danny drinkwater. elswhere, britain's chris froome doesn't know when he's beaten. he crashed on stage 12 of the vuelta a espana, on the downhill section, but managed to finish the leg, albeit with a reduced

lead of 39 seconds. and roger federer is in the third round of the us open after being taken to five sets in new york. real drama there. rafael nadal is also through. yes, plenty more in the papers to come ina yes, plenty more in the papers to come in a few moments. you said "pinch, punch", i've always said "white rabbits". that's before anyone even speaks to you. did you ever do punch and a kick? no. don't punch me or pinch me! here's matt with a look at this morning's weather. let's not talk about frost, it is far too soon. there is a chance. not much of a frost out there at the moment. good morning. a little bit on the cool

side for the first day meteorological autumn. temperatures have been as low as three degrees in parts of east anglia. across the board in the countryside, temperatures are down to single figures. but it is a lovely start. hazy sunshine in scotland. in the channel islands, a few heavy showers around. and some showers in the far north—west of scotland. today, by and large, should be dry. most of you can leave the umbrella at home and most of you will have a fine date. certainly fewer of those nasty showers across parts of wales and the south—west. even in the channel islands, things will turn dry and brighter with more sunshine in the afternoon. if you see showers today it is more likely to be in eastern anglian —— england. also the far north of scotland, there could be one of two isolated showers elsewhere, particularly places like northern ireland. most of you should avoid showers altogether and stay dry. very pleasant while the sun is

out. in the evening, showers will continue for a time in the eastern portion of england, but that will fade away. as i said, tonight will be chilly. even in the city centres, temperatures in scotland will be down to single figures. we could get close to an air frost in parts of scotland, and rural, anywhere across the uk, well down into single figures. saturday will be the better of the two weekend days, to get out and enjoy yourself. what's of sunshine around on saturday. i can't promise there will be no showers. 12 isolated ones will crop up across england and wales, mainly over the hills, and maybe in some lower places across eastern parts of england. but for the vast majority at will be a day of sunny spells, light winscombe and feeling pretty pleasant, temperatures where they should be for this time of year. —— light winds and feeling. 0n should be for this time of year. —— light winds and feeling. on saturday night temperatures should not fall away too much in the west, but it is

going to be cloudy, wet and windy on sunday morning. that rain slowly pushing east. a bright enough start in eastern england and eastern scotland, with some saying dry through the day, but beneath that rain band it will feel distinct wycherley. temperatures in the low teens for some. a chilly start to the weekend, turning milder, with it, sunday will see some rain. at today and on saturday, get out and enjoy it. 0k, ok, let's take a look at the papers. the guardian says that the uk's approach to brexit business stylesheets, unrealistic, and undermined by a lack of trust. that comes from michel barnier, the chief negotiator for the eu. we comes from michel barnier, the chief negotiatorfor the eu. we cover this story yesterday, betting firms targeting former gamblers, and how they are being examined. we saw some fines yesterday, and the gambling

commission is looking at what is going on. the eu wants billions in foreign aid. lots of different stories today. david davies saying, accusing brussels of having unrealistic demands. and this story. a crossbow bolt landing in the oval yesterday. it halted the match. shall we talk about that? yeah, well, extraordinary scenes at the 0val during a match between surrey and middlesex. basically, a crossbow bolts or arrow, fired from outside the ground, they think over the north—east corner, came flying onto the pitch. it's narrowly missed some of the players. some of the players tried to make light of it, saying that robin of loxley had arrived at the oval, but actually it is a very serious incident. the ground had to be evacuated, the match was abandoned. so there were financial costs there. the net have ruled out terrorism, but they are obviously wanting to find out who did this. worried it could prompt a copycat

attack. yes, it shows how vulnerable cricket grounds can be, i suppose. the daily telegraph, after the a—level results, says that some schools are facing an enquiry into the possibility that there is t —— there is cheating going on, but they are setting some of the questions and telling people what those questions might be, allegedly. reports of boris johnson questions might be, allegedly. reports of borisjohnson on leadership manoeuvres. there is a photograph of him ruling the waves. tra nsfer photograph of him ruling the waves. transfer window. yes, transfer deadline day. one move that has not yet been reported. the 11—year—old sofi yet been reported. the 11—year—old son of madonna, david banda, who has moved to benfica. parents like to sacrifice things to support their children's sporting ambitions. madonna says she will move to portugal so that her son david can live his dream and play for the portuguese giants. keep an eye on him. well, you heard it here first. they say he is good, do they? yes,

but lots of kids can be good when they are in". but lots of kids can be good when they are in 11. the crucial thing is what happens when they are 15 or 16. try not to get distracted by the kinds of things that teenagers get distracted by. are you speaking from experience? well, so many teenagers who have been on the books at big clubs, eight years later, what happens? they grow up. happens to us all. from the white cliffs of dover to the beaches of norfolk, today natural england begins a three year project to improve england's coastal path — all 2,700 miles of it! the project will make it the longest coastal path in the world. tim muffett has been speaking to walkers in west somerset. it will be a very, very, very long walk. when it is finished in 2020, the england coast path will be 2700 miles long. today i have joined walkers in west somerset, who

already use a completed section. as already use a completed section. as a keen walker, and somebody who loves being by the sea, i think it is wonderful. we are an island nation. having a joined up path which allows people to walk around the whole of the periphery of the country has to be a good thing. the path will incorporate many existing routes and add new ones. this was virgin ground. a new path in the new bridge that has been put in. a continuation of the coastal path. along the coast, cafe owner darren taylor says the path is already listing business. we have seen an increase in visitor numbers since the footpath has been constructive. we are in a lovely location. but there is only one road in and one rode out. we have the steam trains behind us, which service the area. there are no buses. it allows me to operate the business 12 months of the year. the coast path is being

completed in stages. stretches have already opened in kent, norfolk, cumbria and north yorkshire. it is all possible because of a law change in 20 —— all possible because of a law change in 20 -- 2009. that all possible because of a law change in 20 —— 2009. that established rights of access along a newly defined coastal margin. stretches of land next to the sea. but some of it is privately owned, and some say the new rights of way are causing problems. it provides the right for people to walk wherever they like. it is that aspect, which creates particular difficulties for the owners of businesses, and particularly for farmers who are trying to graze livestock on the land. natural england are overseeing the paths construction. hello, neil. to see you. and great spot, you can see wales in the distance. it is making everybody‘s coast available to them. what about those landowners who say, hang on a second, this is having an impact on

their land, their businesses, in some cases? the coast is complex. we have worked with lots of people to come up with the most flexible solution that works. it is a coastal path,it solution that works. it is a coastal path, it doesn't go way inland. it ta kes path, it doesn't go way inland. it takes into path, it doesn't go way inland. it ta kes into accou nt path, it doesn't go way inland. it takes into account how they use this land, so that we can strike a fair balance. it has cost £25 million so far. it will be the world's longest coastal path. in three years, a distant dream should become reality. it is nice here, isn't it? so relaxing! we have swapped the sofa, continuing with the coastal theme. this is our own deckchair. the sofa is so last year. it is so some. this isn't as comfortable, i have to say. next week we'll be pitching up at seasides across britain and hearing about why people feel strongly about protecting our coastline. this deckchair will be in weston—super—mare on monday. let's have a look at some of the other places it's already visited. nice shoes!

music. reassuring to see that everybody else looks as uncomfortable as we are. we'd also like to say thank you to the people who go the extra mile to support the seaside. if you know someone who works hard to make their coastal community better, then why not nominate them as a bbc breakfast coastal champion. tell us what they do

and send a photo of them to brea kfast.tv@bbc. co. uk or via our facebook page. we might feature them on the programme. a busy week next week, out and about. in the meantime dot black we need a moment to get out of this. —— in the meantime... we need a moment. time to get the news, travel and weather where you are. hello and good morning from bbc london news. i'm alice salfield. reading buses has apologised to members of the public after a bus attack alarm sounded in the town centre. alarm sounds. this bus is under attack! the alarms are only supposed to be used in emergencies, but a driver accidently set it off in a busy part of town earlier in the week, worrying passers by. people instantly assume the worst.

it is right near the station and you think, my god, that bus is about to go down that route right into the station, where it could possibly hurt a lot of people. i'm sorry if this cause any concern or disturbance, but it sounds like everybody has done exactly what they we re everybody has done exactly what they were supposed to do, which is wake up, were supposed to do, which is wake up, pay were supposed to do, which is wake up, pay attention, and make contact with the relevant authorities. queens park rangers will host a celebrity football match tomorrow, to raise money for those affected by the grenfell tower fire. it's not the first initiative from the club to help locals in the aftermath of the disaster. this football programme for children was set up at westway sports centre, in the shadow of the tower. it's run through the summer holidays and is now in its sixth week. former footballer les ferdinand says he hopes saturday's game will bring the community together. we have got young people here who fortu nately we have got young people here who fortunately —— we have got young people here who fortu nately — — u nfortu nately we have got young people here who fortunately —— unfortunately no people who died in the fire. some of them were in the building on the morning of the fire. we are giving them the opportunity to get away from being in the hotel room, from spending the summer holidays

thinking about things which might cause them some distress, and instead come out and enjoy themselves. southern rail passengers will face more disruptions as members of the rmt go on strike today. so there is no service on the west london line or two and from guildford. this is the picture on the roads in dagenham. slow on the a13 ripple road westbound. lets have a check on the weather now with elizabeth rizzini. good morning. summer is over. it is the first day of september, the first day of meteorological autumn, and it is noticeably chilly and autumnal this morning. a few early mist patches around. it should turn into a nice day. what is of good spells of sunshine and most of us will be getting a nice and bright start. it will feel pleasantly warm in the sunshine. just a light breeze today. the small chance of one or two match was breaking out, mostly towards eastern areas. the majority of us should stay dry and we will

see temperatures peaked at 20 or 21 celsius. through this evening and overnight, most of us should stay dry again. a few stray showers, maybe. again, it will feel quite chilly, with early mist and fog touches. lows of 11 degrees in towns and, but back into single figures for many rural spots. 0n and, but back into single figures for many rural spots. on saturday a weather front is sitting to the west, as you can see. that won't really make inroads into the south—east of england until we get to sunday. saturday, dry, lots of sunshine, temperatures edging into the low 20s. by the time to sunday afternoon we could see it turning cloudy and from the west. i'm back with the latest from the bbc london newsroom in half an hour. plenty more on our website at the usual address. now, though, it's back tojon and naga. hello, this is breakfast, with naga munchetty and jon kay. back on the sofa! we'll bring you all the latest news and sport in a moment.

but also on breakfast this morning: the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness is upon us. we're live at a hop farm as the harvest gets under way to find out if this years crop will result in a boost for britain's beer industry. jane tomlinson took on feats of endurance after being diagnosed with terminal cancer and raised almost £2 million for charity. ten years since she died, we'll look back at her greatest achievements. and after three years apart and throat surgery for lead singer danny 0'donoghue, the script are here to tell us about being reunited for their new album. all that still to come. the raf is now the first branch of the british military to open every role in the service to women. from today, they can apply tojoin the raf regiment, a frontline combat force whose main task is to patrol and protect air—fields.

the defence secretary, sir michael fallon, has described the move, which is a year ahead of schedule, as a defining moment for the raf. 0ur correspondent mark lobel has got the details. in the next half an hour we'll speak to two former british army 0fficers about what they think of the changes. they are opposed to one another. hundreds of thousands of people in birmingham could see piles of rubbish mounting in the streets again as bin—workers resume strike action this morning. last month, industrial action was suspended to allow talks between the council and unions, but the strike is back on again after the council said it was issuing some redundancy notices. president trump is expected to ask congress for £4.5 billion of funds to help those affected by storm harvey. the total cost of repairing the damage and compensating residents whose homes have been affected is estimated to be more than £100 billion.

celebrities such as singer beyonce, actors sandra bullock and leonardo dicaprio, have promised to contribute to a disaster fund. president trump says he will give $1 million of his own money. he plans to return to texas tomorrow. the international trade secretary, liam fox, has said businesses have become impatient with the slow progress of the brexit negotiations. speaking in japan, where he and theresa may have been discussing the future of trading relations, dr fox said a bad deal with the eu wouldn't just damage british companies. it's very clear that this is not just in europe but investors in places like here injapan are getting impatient and want to see what the final shape of that arrangement is going to be. they wa nt to arrangement is going to be. they want to know we will continue to be an open and liberal trading environment and there is a worry that if it's not the sort of

agreement britain wants you could end up with impediments to trade and investment across europe. german police will evacuate about 70,000 people from their homes on sunday, after an unexploded world war two bomb was discovered in frankfurt. it will be one of the biggest operations of its kind in germany since the war. the 1.5 tonne british bomb was nicknamed blockbuster as it was able to wipe out whole streets. frankfurt university, the european central bank and nearby hospitals will also be evacuated. that's a huge amount of work. 70,000 people to get out of their homes and offices. we might get some pictures offices. we might get some pictures of that for tomorrow. it's just after 6:30am and of course it is the morning after the transfer deadline. yes, so many players are either staying or going. it was quite dramatic in the final frantic 20

minutes. it's like waiting for the final score. yes, in the end of the deals were broken. danny drinkwater is one. it gets broken every year, doesn't it? yes, that's true, as prices go up. which is maybe why the papers are talking about the players that aren't on the move, even though they wa nted aren't on the move, even though they wanted to be. alexis sanchez is still an arsenal player after he failed to secure placement. it is understood an agreement was made during the two clu b agreement was made during the two club for £16 million. he even told his mates that he got his dream move. “— his mates that he got his dream move. —— £60 million. but the whole chain broke down. he is in his final year of his contract and could lead ona year of his contract and could lead on a free transfer next summer. and this is what arsenal could have had. lemar scored twice for france

in last night's 4—0 thumping of the netherlands. arsene wenger‘s side were understood to have agreed a £90 million fee with monaco for the frenchman, but he decided against a move to the emirates. but the biggest premier league deal of the day did involve an arsenal player, alex 0xlade—chamberlain, who moved to liverpool for £35 million after turning down an original offer from chelsea. it wasn'tjust 0xlade chamberlain that turned down the premier league champions. ross barkley has also rejected a move to chelsea, in order to stay at everton, according to the club's majority shareholder. it's understood he even passed a medical before deciding against the move. danny drinkwater did join chelsea, from leicester, for £35 million. meanwhile, swansea were able to make business. they signed portugal midfielder renato sanches on a season's loan, from bayern munich. he was one of the stars of portugal's euro 2016 success.

they also welcome back when fred bonnie from manchester city. one of the biggest stories of the summer transfer window is one that's not quite over yet. wanted by barcelona. the merseysiders have even rejected a £114 million bid. but the spanish transfer window shuts tonight, so it could still happen. liverpool say he's not for sale. among all the excitement of deadline day, we shouldn't forget that it's international week, with all the home nations involved in world cup qualifiers this weekend. last night, england arrived at their camp in malta ahead of their group f game tonight. england manager gareth southgate says he knows who will take over from wayne rooney as captain, but feels it should not be the focus of attention. we've focused too much on wayne in particular in the last few years and we've got to start building a more

resilient group of leaders. and allow them to take responsibility. you know, for me it is not the most important decision. the more important decision. the more important thing is trying to build the group into a stronger group, so they react in the right way collectively. in the same group, scotland badly need to win in lithuania, to keep alive hopes. they kick off tonight as well, four points off the play off place. they've only won once there before. but their manager has confidence in his players. and northern ireland need to avoid any mishaps tonight against san marino for them to remain on course for a world cup play—off spot. they're currently second in group c behind 2014 winners germay. britain's chris froome is still the man to beat in the vuelta a espana, but a crash and some technical difficulties means his lead has been cut by 20 seconds. the team sky rider fell on the final downhill sector of yesterday's 12th stage.

he still has a 59—second lead over his nearest rivals with another nine stages remaining. froome is attempting to become the third man to win the tour de france and vuelta in the same season. the world number one and two time champion rafael nadal is through to the third round of the us open overnight. he came through against japan's taro daniel in four sets. joining him there will be roger federer, who was pushed all the way for the second time in three days, this time by russia's mikhail youzhny. it's the first time in his career that he's played five set matches in the first two rounds of a grand slam. so he's getting plenty of work outs. he'll face spain's feliciano lopez next. a lot of people cheering on federer, as always. are you quite clean and tidy around the house? who does the hoovering? me. you like a good vacuum cleaner? it

needs to be cheap for me. ijust go for the bottom of the range. they seem for the bottom of the range. they seem to be ok. i have very fluffy carpet. no pets. i have cats. it makes a real difference. 0nce no pets. i have cats. it makes a real difference. once a week is enough. do you know who is quite fussy about being clean and always has a go about crumbs? jon? that's why we couch is spotless this morning. he is sick of the production staff dropping crumbs around the place. now i know why charlie has gone on holiday! it all makes sense. we are here to talk more about vacuum cleaners. i can't hear myself thinking! from today, brand—new vacuum cleaners, the superpowerful, noisy ones, will be banned. you run a cleaning company and know all about this. shall we show people what we've got? at the moment, the

1600 watts vacuum cleaner, you wouldn't be able to get this one brand—new, you —— will only be able to get a night hundreds what one. —— 900 watt. we use this already. why? we are an environmentally conscious company anyway, but itjust we are an environmentally conscious company anyway, but it just saves money for the business. they are lighter, easier to manoeuvre. less noisy? yes. some people say it is nonsense because this is coming in because of the eu and we shouldn't because of the eu and we shouldn't be told what sort of vacuum cleaners we can and can't buy. what would you say chris evert like we said, we use the low voltage ones and they do a fantasticjob. the low voltage ones and they do a fantastic job. —— what the low voltage ones and they do a fantasticjob. —— what would you say? like we said. this is the lower wattage, quieter one. you hoover there as well. this is basically a very devious way

of getting us to clean this place for free! if you of getting us to clean this place forfree! if you keep of getting us to clean this place for free! if you keep that one on and then i will switch on this one and then i will switch on this one and let's see what the difference is. it is noisy. there we go. it is a bit quicker. i think it sucked it up a bit quicker. i think it sucked it upa a bit quicker. i think it sucked it up a little bit faster, but powerful one, but it effectively did the same job. if you are cleaner and every minute counts, don't you want something that does it as quickly as possible? no, we see no difference. the case. let's give it a go. we have a bit more work to do. have you got any dusters as well? no. any spray or anything? not with me, no. i'm sure we can get something... the more powerful one, the red one, they

are basically doing the same thing, according to nicola. you would say that, but you definitely missed a few bits. with me if someone from the global warming policy foundation. what do you make of these new regulations? the idea is to cut emissions, but it impacts us. i think it's a very naive, symbolic policy that will have no real effect on energy consumption. the idea is that this will save people money and reduce the consumption of electricity. i very much doubt that either of these claims will come true. why? just because it makes sense that if something is less powerful or less noisy it will use less energy. yeah, the assumption is that we will continue to clean our carpet is the way it has been done over the last

20- 30 way it has been done over the last 20— 30 years. you've just disgust that you clean once a week. the future of vacuum cleaning will be robotic. robotic cleaners are being bought more and more. they are used every day. so instead of using less electricity, we will be using more. viktor bout fridges —— think about. they have become ever more energy efficient and the labelling is similarto efficient and the labelling is similar to the hoover. but what happens is that we have now bigger fridges, biggerfreezers, two fridges. think about lighting. but i suppose this is why these rules need to be introduced. there has to be some measure, if we are going to have multiple appliances. winnie to reduce their power usage. why? to

cut emissions and reduce power use. but wherever we have saved energy, whether it is lighting or fridges or appliances, energy consumption hasn't been reduced because as it becomes cheaper we use more of it. think about all the appliances. they have grown sevenfold over the last 40 or 50 years. the whole house is now full of electric appliances. we are not using less, we are using more, and the same will happen with the vacuum cleaners. instead of hand—held vacuum cleaners which you use once a week perhaps for half an hour, we now have robotic vacuum clea ners hour, we now have robotic vacuum cleaners that go around the house three hours a day. thank you very much for your views. that was the director of the global warming policy foundation. it's time to see a little bit more off matt, who is taking a look at the weather. i hope the studio is clean! of course! good morning. it is the

beginning of the meteorological autumn. we have missed just outside london here. a lovely start to the day across many parts of the country. if you are heading out shortly, a distinct chill in the air. temperatures have dropped below three in parts of east anglia. we have showers through the english channel which will affect the channel which will affect the channel islands in the next few hours. 0ne channel islands in the next few hours. one or two the north—west of scotland. most will start with a dry and sunny morning. some mist around, which will gradually clear. nowhere near as many showers as we saw yesterday and stop much of wales and the south—west, after the heavy showers yesterday, will be dry and pleasa nt showers yesterday, will be dry and pleasant today. we will see those showers clearway from the english channel. the afternoon should the drive. if you want to see those showers when they do appear will be

light and isolated. most people will be dry for the bulk of the day. temperatures right where they should be, in the high teens, maybe one or two in the low 20s. shower is fading in the evening. with clear skies around, it is going to be another night of some mists forming here and there and another night of low temperatures. it could even colder than last night. getting very close to an airforst in parts of scotland. —— air frost. to an airforst in parts of scotland. —— airfrost. a to an airforst in parts of scotland. —— air frost. a weekend to an airforst in parts of scotland. —— airfrost. a weekend of two halves. the first half of the weekend is the better of the two. some rain coming in during the day on sunday, though not everybody will see it. some people will get away with a completely dry weekend. saturday is certainly a dry day for the vast majority. 0ne saturday is certainly a dry day for the vast majority. one of two light showers across england and wales, mainly over the hills. most will see those sunny spells, light winds, and feeling warm and sunshine. as we

finish on saturday, the showers that do form quickly fade away and it will lead us into a dry night to begin with. it will be cold. some rain spreading into the west later on. sunday, a bit uncertain how quickly that rain will spread east. potentially a wet and windy start to northern ireland, parts of england and wales. a chilly start across eastern parts of the uk, even as they stay dry and bright all day long. just keep checking the forecast, because it all depends how quickly this round of rain pushes through. if you are under that rain band in the afternoon, it will be very chilly. that rain band is that only moving across, i'm not happy. matt, one of my fondest memories of breakfast is when you were morris dancing. you know, you are so light and your feet... you haven't forgotten that? iam sure feet... you haven't forgotten that? i am sure that will haunt me for yea rs. i am sure that will haunt me for years. how was your ballet dancing? awful. no, definitely not.|j years. how was your ballet dancing? awful. no, definitely not. ithink you are probably give out a

different type of bar work, i imagine. probably best. iwill stick to that, thank you. well, you might learn something here. think of ballet classes and you probably picture a room full of young children in leotards. but now an increasing number of pensioners are learning to pirouette in a bid to combat the affects of ageing. such is the demand for more mature ballet classes, that the royal academy for dance is rolling out lessons across the uk for the over—55s. 0ur reporter lara rostron is with a class right now in south london. i hope you are limbered up for us this morning. well, have been doing some stretching. i have my ballet shoes on for the occasion. a gentle start the friday morning. we have our beautiful silver swans, who are all over 55. they have been participating in the pilot lessons which have been going on here for

three years. they have discovered they are so popular they actually wa nt to they are so popular they actually want to roll out these special silver swan classes across the country so they can take part. avril, good morning. tell us why you started doing ballet? well, i heard about the class starting up, and i thought i would like to give it a go. i never expected to enjoy it so much and i'm still here, 18 months later. you are in your late 60s. do you get out of it? it is good exercise. it is fun. it is good for my posture. i feel fitter and stronger. and it lifts my spirits. wonderfulfor the mind stronger. and it lifts my spirits. wonderful for the mind and stronger. and it lifts my spirits. wonderfulfor the mind and the body. avril, i will let you carry on. i just want you to intrude —— ijust wa nt to just want you to intrude —— ijust want to introduce you to michel, the director of educating and training at the academy of dance. you are not taking part? i'm afraid it is a bit too early for me this morning. absolutely, we can leave it to the others. tell me, why is it important

to have special silver swan classes rather than adult classes for the over 55 low? i think the silver swan classes recognise that the silver swa n classes recognise that the silver swan participants come with a whole wealth of life experiences, and they really do need, the teachers need, to adapt to those life experiences. and the way that older learners actually learn ballet. and do they need to be aware of certain things physically? absolutely, in terms of mobility, flexibility, balance. the silver swan teachers adapt their classes to suit the needs of each individual. michel temer thank you. iam going individual. michel temer thank you. i am going to introduce you to a special ambassador here. angela rippon, the television presenter. fa ncy rippon, the television presenter. fancy seeing you here! why not? i am the ambassador for silver swans, so it was worth getting up early this morning and seeing the ladies doing brilliantly. why is it important for

ladies, and men, over55, to be taking part in ballet? as we get older, i think an awful lot of people find they start to lose their balance, they get a bit creaky in the knees, they hurt their hips getting in and out of chairs. as you getting in and out of chairs. as you get older it is really important that you dance, that you build up your muscles, so that you can stay strong. and be able to go on doing the things you have always wanted to do. all of us want to live long and healthy lives, and exercises the way that you are going to do that. dance has been proven scientifically, we actually did this by chance last year, when i was doing programme —— doing the programme how to stay young. in germany they had people in their60s, young. in germany they had people in their 60s, some of them were doing ballet and some of them were in the gym, and we scientifically proved that dancing is the complete mind and body exercise. it is great for balance, four core strength, for flexibility, and it makes your rain works, because you have to remember

the steps and the co—ordination. and it isa the steps and the co—ordination. and it is a great social event. thank you! as you can see, age is really no barrier. it certainly isn't. you are never too young. you are never too old! this is probably more my natural habitat. the hop harvest is getting under way this week and it's set to be a good year for british farmers. but what will it mean for britain's booming beer industry? ben's on a hop farm in the foothills of the malverns this morning. you know, there is always that thing as we move towards winter, the first day of meteorological autumn, as the sunrises are becoming later, but we get views like this. isn't that stunning? that is the foothills of the cup at morgans. —— foothills of the cup at morgans. —— foothills of the malverns. good morning, then. good morning. welcome to a glorious morning in worcestershire. i am

getting covered in hops this morning. the harvest is well under way. this is one of the biggest farms in the country. these hops will be sold right around the world, predominantly to the uk beer industry, but also in europe, asia, and of course north america. the quys and of course north america. the guys here are making sure that this yea r‘s bumper crop guys here are making sure that this year's bumper crop is harvested well in time. let mejustjump off year's bumper crop is harvested well in time. let me justjump off while they carry on. let me show you around. these are the hops. this is some of the crop which has been grown this year. they grow from the ground, right up to the top, where they can catch the sunlight. great growing conditions in this part of the country. ally runs the farm here. good morning. are we looking at here? why are these top so special? we are looking at this amazing plant. for all of this hard work, all that the brewer wants is this tiny little flower. so from

this tiny little flower. so from this entire line, this is the only bit they need? yes, this is the only bit. it is the yellow gland at the base of the hop flower which contains all be hop oils, it has the tennis and the preservative valley. in those hop oils we have all the amazing aromas. we have floral, honey and spice notes, it puts delicious flavour into the beer. goldings is our oldest hop, discovered in 1790. what makes this pa rt discovered in 1790. what makes this part of the country so special, why grow it here? great soil underneath your feet. beautiful deep clay and sandstone soil. and a beautiful maritime climate. we do complain about ourdamp summers, maritime climate. we do complain about our damp summers, but we have had a beautiful growing year this year. rain when we needed it, beautiful sunshine. it is that lovely maritime climate that really delivers what we need in terms of the conditions for this planned.

where do you sell these? all around the world? yes. our local brewers are really important to us. a big pa rt of are really important to us. a big part of our market is the british brewing industry. about 40% of the british crop goes off all over the world, predominantly to america, south america, and into northern europe. let me introduce you to susanna. good morning. you are from imbibe magazine. ally mentioned the exporting around the world, and the idea that more and more people are interested in it, not least because of the booming craft beer industry. absolutely. you can see it everywhere. last weekend in hereford, the indie food festival, there was a whole array of interesting beers from breweries which are less than ten years old. what it hears is the ipa. —— what it is. they love those hoppy beers. so

the chance to look at which hops are going into next year's beers, it is wonderful. you might say it is underrated, we don't really treat hops the way that we treat grapes, at the way that you and ally speak about them, we should consider them the same way as an export? absolutely. there are so many different kinds. anybody can go into their local pub and find out about what is in their beer. and then go and see if you can see all rewa, see what is in these amazing things. you have to have a sniff, it is absolutely amazing. that is what is making people across the country go to breweries and festivals. it is wonderful. susanna, thank you, we will talk more about that later. so, the guys have honestly i will get to taste some of the beer that these hops to win two later. it is probably too early, before seven o'clock, but we will come back later. a gorgeous sunrise here. we are later. a gorgeous sunrise here. we a re really later. a gorgeous sunrise here. we are really being spoilt here and was

to show this morning. then, thank you. —— ben. i don't think it is ever too early. it is five o'clock somewhere. time now to get the news, travel and weather where you are. hello and good morning from bbc london news. i'm alice salfield. reading buses has apologised to members of the public after a bus attack alarm sounded in the town centre. alarm sounds. recording: this bus is under attack! please call 999! the alarms are only supposed to be used in emergencies, but a driver accidently set it off in a busy part of town earlier in the week, worrying passers by. people instantly assume the worst. it's right near the station and you think, "my god, that bus is about to go down that route right into the station," where it could possibly hurt a lot of people. i'm sorry if this caused any concern or disturbance, but it sounds like everybody has done exactly what they were supposed to do, which is wake

up, pay attention, and make contact with the relevant authorities. queens park rangers will host a celebrity football match tomorrow, to raise money for those affected by the grenfell tower fire. it's not the first initiative from the club to help locals in the aftermath of the disaster. this football programme for children was set up at westway sports centre, in the shadow of the tower. we have got young people here who unfortunately knew people who died in the fire. some of them were in the building on the morning of the fire. we are giving them the opportunity to get away from being in the hotel room, from spending the summer holidays thinking about things which might cause them some distress, and instead come out and enjoy themselves. let's have a look at the travel situation now. all did on the tube at the moment. but on southern, members of the rmt are striking today, so there is no service on the west london line or

two and from guildford. a full service is expected on all other routes, including the gatwick express. this is the picture in dagenham. these are the queues on the a13 ripple road westbound towards calls brooke interchange. let's have a check on the weather now with elizabeth rizzini. good morning. summer's over. it's the first day of september, the first day of meteorological autumn, and it's noticeably chilly and autumnal this morning. a few early mist patches around. it should turn into a nice day. lots of good spells of sunshine and most of us will be getting a nice and bright start. it will feel pleasantly warm in the sunshine. just a light breeze today. the small chance of one or two showers breaking out, mostly towards eastern areas. the majority of us should stay dry and we will see temperatures peak at 20 or 21 celsius. through this evening and overnight, most of us should stay dry again. a few stray showers, maybe. again, it will feel quite chilly, with early mist and fog touches.

lows of 11 degrees in town centres, but back into single figures for many rural spots. on saturday a weather front is sitting to the west, as you can see. that won't really make inroads into the south—east of england until we get to sunday. saturday, dry, lots of sunshine, temperatures edging into the low 20s. by the time to sunday afternoon we could see it turning cloudy and wet from the west. i'm back with the latest from the bbc london newsroom in half an hour. now, though, it's back tojon and naga. hello. this is breakfast, with naga munchetty and jon kay. the raf becomes the first british military service to allow women to serve in every role. from today, they can apply for combat duties on the frontline. the army and royal marines will follow next year. good morning, it's friday the 1st of september.

also this morning: the birmingham bin strike is back on. some workers have been issued with redundancy notices and there are fears that mountains more waste will start piling up on the streets again. customers are told to "suck it up", as the eu bans vacuum cleaners which are too noisy or powerful. the hop harvest is getting under way this week and it's set to be a bumper year. but with prices rising around the world, what will it all mean for britain's expanding craft beer industry? i'll be finding out later. in sport, he told his mates he was going to manchester city, but in late drama alexis sanchez's move from arsenal fell through, one of several big deals that stalled before the transfer window closed. and matt has your weather. good morning. i've got the mist. it

is the start of autumn and a chilly start. most dry today and we go into the weekend on a similar story. all the weekend on a similar story. all the details coming up. good morning. first, our main story. the raf is now the first branch of the british military to open every role in the service to women. from today, they can apply tojoin the raf regiment, a frontline combat force whose main task is to patrol and protect air—fields. the defence secretary, sir michael fallon, has described the move, which is a year ahead of schedule, as a defining moment for the raf. this is significant moment for the raf. the first branch of the british military to open up all areas of the service to men and women. women can already fly planes. but now they can apply to join the raf‘s currently all—male military infantry unit, that patrols and protects airfields. they fought in afghanistan

and suffered casualties. the raf regiment is relatively small, just over 2,000 strong, and with women making up about 10% of the air force as a whole there is unlikely to be a flood of applications. lastjuly, former pm david cameron overturned hundreds of years of military tradition to allow women to take up frontline fighting jobs. in april, the royal army corps opened its doors to females. pm theresa may was there to witness the graduation at sandhurst of the first recruits. today, it's the raf‘s ground fighting force opening its doors. and by the end of next year, women should be able tojoin the even more physically demanding army infantry unit and the royal marines. not everyone welcomes these changes, but after studies concluded women

are up for the fight, now potential recruits can take up their right. hundreds of thousands of people in birmingham could see piles of rubbish mounting in the streets again as bin—workers resume strike action this morning. last month industrial action was suspended to allow talks between the council and unions, but the strike is back on again after the council said it was issuing some redundancy notices. emma thompson reports. a summer of discontent for birmingham's bin men. almost two months of unemptied bins is causing chaos for residents. last night they got the new city set to continue. i think it's disgusting how long it's gone on. there's got to be a resolution that they can come to quickly. i think it's a service that's quite underappreciated, really, and i think they do a greatjob and i think the cuts are necessary, really. the streets have been smelling very badly and somehow there's got to be a way of reaching a compromise.

a council statement confirmed that all grade three bin staff would be issued with redundancy notices today. the council's leader insists staff will be offered alternative roles of the same pay. united says this move is deeply provocative and that their members will return to the picket lines today. they can't screw the agreement up. we honoured our side and we paused the industrial action and we want it to stop permanently. if a ballot of union members approves it, the strike could continue until christmas. in the us, president trump is expected to ask congress for £4.5 billion of funds to help those affected by storm harvey. the total cost of repairing the damage and compensating residents whose homes have been affected is estimated to be more than £100 billion. some celebrities, such as singer beyonce, actors sandra bullock and leonardo dicaprio,

have promised to contribute to a disaster fund. president trump says he will give $1 million of his own money. he plans to return to texas tomorrow. the uk must not allow itself to be blackmailed by the eu over the cost of leaving, so says liam fox. businesses have become impatient with the slow progress of the negotiations. it is clear that this is notjust in europe but investors in places like here injapan are getting impatient and want to see what that final shape of that arrangement is going to be. they want to know if we will continue to be an open and liberal trading environment and there is a worry that if it's not the sort of agreement that britain wants you could end up with impediments to trade and investment across europe that don't exist today. we can speak now to our political correspondent iain watson. you can feel the frustration on both

sides after the talks yesterday. where does this leave us? what happens next? it is certainly any tense press conference between the two sides and certainly frustration. liam fox was talking about is that having frustration at the speed of the talks and government ministers clearly have frustration as well. what they want is a discussion as soon as possible over a future trade relief and she, in part to of course reassure businesses. at one of the main sticking points is the potential size of the divorce bill in order to leave the eu. the eu's chief negotiator said yesterday that that discussion and trade was still some way off until these other issues were settled. in response to that, and as a sign of that frustration, liam fox on that trip to japan also said that he felt the british shouldn't be blackmailed into paying an unfair divorce bill. there was a price to moving on those trade talks. he said the best way of

reducing tension was to discuss trade as soon as possible. but it remains to be seen whether his language will do anything to improve the atmosphere. indeed. thanks very much indeed. nearly half of young, low paid parents are struggling to juggle childcare with work according to a survey for the tuc. researchers found that irregular hours were to blame, with many working parents feeling at the mercy of employers who are able to change their hours at short notice. our business correspondent emma simpson reports. —— sales of noisy and more powerful vacuum cleaners are to be restricted under eu rules from today. machines using more than 900—watts and emitting more than 80—decibels will be banned from sale when existing stocks run out. a rare hen—harrier being tracked as part of a conservation programme has disappeared on a grouse moor in scotland. the rspb says the bird hasn't been seen since the first day of the official grouse—shooting season and is appealing for anyone with information to get in touch.

hen harriers are one of britain's rarest birds and there are only 550 breeding pairs in the uk. it is the first of september, which means it is the meteorological start of autumn. a bit chilly this morning? i think autumn has been around for a week! maybe it will change now. full details in about five minutes. we have seen a gorgeous sunrise in worcestershire this morning. we can't get enough of ben's sunrise this morning. we will be back to talk to him about the hop harvest later. let's talk about one of our main story is this morning. it has been described as a "defining moment" by the defence secretary sir michael fallon, from today the royal air force is the first branch of the british military to accept applications from women for all areas of service. it follows a decision last year to lift a ban on females serving

in close combat roles, like the infantry. former head of british forces in afghanistan, colonel richard kemp, joins us from our studio in chelmsford. and former major in the british army, judith webb, is here with us on the sofa. what do you make of this, judith? is this a good move? it is an interesting move because for many yea rs interesting move because for many years i've always said that women are capable of anything and everything and they've proved themselves and served in afghanistan on the frontline, whatever that —— is described as. my issue was only with the physical aspect, but i think women are well capable of coping with it. there's certainly no problem with their psychologically or emotionally being in these roles. lots to dig into. let's hearfrom the kernel. is this a good, positive

move? -- colonel. i have to say that i very much disagree with the idea that women should serve in close combat roles, in the infantry in particular. asjudith said, my concern is that my concerns are primarily with physical capability and the effect that long—term stresses and strains of infantry training will have on a woman's body. in terms of the raf regiment, i think it different. they aren't infantry. their role is to protect airfields, but that sometimes does involve endurance work and marching ove rlord involve endurance work and marching overlord distances, sometimes in order to protect further out. —— over warm distances. but women have done that on many occasions. my concern is not so much with women in the raf regiment, not the infantry, what is with women serving in the infantry, which is due to happen in about a year. see you think women

can't or shouldn't fight in close co nta ct? can't or shouldn't fight in close contact? there are number of issues. i first concern is that it is not simplya i first concern is that it is not simply a question of women passing selection, physical selection, to be infa ntry selection, physical selection, to be infantry soldiers and officers, because there will be some who can do that, although not many. only a small number will pass the selection, from the small number who apply. but once you get through the selection you are then subjecting yourself to a minimum of four years of intensive physical training, day in and day out, in and out of barracks, which puts enough of a strain ona barracks, which puts enough of a strain on a man's body. statistics show that females in military training, not infantry, not even as tough as infantry training, sustain about twice as many serious wounds or injuries as men. so if you can

imagine the stress is it can put on a woman's wadi over a minimum of four years, we will have some pretty severe problems to women. —— woman's body. if a woman knows that and still wa nts body. if a woman knows that and still wants tojoin body. if a woman knows that and still wants to join and get through the selection process, surely she has a right to do it? yes, but many women who want to do this, incidentally i admire any woman who would want to join infantry, incidentally i admire any woman who would want tojoin infantry, as i would want tojoin infantry, as i would admire any man, but when you are young person, man or woman, you don't really think about the hazards, you are just full of enthusiasm for wanting to do the job and you kind of disregard it. the same way men do. and i think the reality is that we will find that many more women than men suffer injuries. not necessarily battle injuries, but injuries as a result of tough training and we will then

undoubtably see very significant compensation payments being made out of the defence budget. i think the nature of the woman's body means that i think some of the injuries will be more significant in terms of the ability to bear children and the like. i'm not a doctor but i have read up on this and i think that's a problem. my other concern is that standards of training and standard selection will be dropped. the army denied it will do that, but i'm confident they will because the army has to have a can—do attitude and they have to be prepared to do what they have to be prepared to do what they are ordered to do, it's part of they are ordered to do, it's part of the definition of being a soldier.|j do have the interrupter. sorry. judith, what do you make of that? it sounds like you have come round to the idea. my concern has been about the idea. my concern has been about the longevity of women in these roles. i think there have now been significant test and research carried out and i think the argument previously by the colonel is that

women don't have the aggressive streak, he has been quoted saying that, i don't think that's an issue. my that, i don't think that's an issue. my position has always been to ensure that research is carried out so that women know exactly what they are in line for and so over an extended period of time if they are going to suffer physical injuries than they are aware of it. and also in training, one of the mitigation is that i noticed in the research is that training should be separated by sex, by gender. when you say that training should be separated by gender, the fact is, and many people make this argument, women and men will be on the frontline doing the same job, so why should they have different training? also, physically, we are naturally smaller and less strong than most men on average. does that need to be taken into account? if so, does that

with the frontline at a disadvantage if women are on it? i don't think so. we want to promote diversity, and to get the best people, and we have got women who want to do it on who are capable of doing it so of course they should be able to do it. but being aware of our physical differences is an important aspect. that is where i feel the research is now being carried out, and there has been some very extensive research, which demonstrates that they have to ta ke which demonstrates that they have to take into account our differences, but taking that into account, we are still well capable of doing that job. if you had your time again now would you apply for a combat role? no, i wouldn't. would you apply for a combat role? no, iwouldn't. i would you apply for a combat role? no, i wouldn't. i was quite happy to carry a weapon, and i was in a defensive role, i commanded a squadron which provided indications, but i would never wish to be an infa ntry but i would never wish to be an infantry soldier. but i can understand that there are those who would wish to be, and that in today's society, if the right precautions are there, in place, they should be able to do so. i wish we had an hour to talk about this.

it is so interesting. colonel richard kemp, thank you forjoining us. judith webb as well, major judith webb, thank you. it's 07:17 and you're watching breakfast from bbc news. matt has the weather. good morning. it is the first day of autumn, meteorologically speaking. the sun is up in most of the uk, but it comes at a price. it is rather chilly. temperatures as low as two or three degrees in some spots. five celsius in most rural areas and on the outskirts of towns, to take us into the start of the day. the morning mist will slowly lift. there are some showers could to the channel islands which will fade away. showers in the north and west of scotland. by and large, competitive yesterday, fewer showers to come. if you take a look around, finishing the afternoon and the evening, most places will be dry and sunny. certainly a better afternoon

than morning in the channel islands. perhaps more breezy than yesterday across wales and the south—west. not as many of those hefty showers. showers most likely in parts of east anglia, through lincolnshire and zero “— anglia, through lincolnshire and zero —— and yorkshire, and parts of south—eastern scotland. maybe one or two maccabi ones. across the pennines, any showers will be few and far between. across the uk it will feel warm in the sun. temperatures in the mid—to high teens, if not low 20s. into the night, a fuzhou were still around in parts of east anglia and the far south—east. —— few showers still around. it could be a slightly cooler night for some of you, maybe even a touch of frost on the ground in parts of scotland and northern england into the weekend. we can begin is all right. there will be changes all through the day on sunday, though not everybody will see rain. saturday, cold and misty to begin with. most places will be dry. one of two showers around.

england and wales, mainly on the hills, much lighter than recent days. for the vast majority it is a dry day with good sunny spells, light winds, again feeling pleasa ntly light winds, again feeling pleasantly warm. temperatures light winds, again feeling pleasa ntly warm. temperatures 18— light winds, again feeling pleasantly warm. temperatures 18— 21 for the vast majority. into sunday, clouds starting to gather. you can see that on saturday evening as the showers fade. as i said, by the time we had sunday, it will be raining across parts of ireland, wales, south—west england, some heavy burst send gusty winds that will slowly work eastwards. how quickly, that is a bit uncertain right now. it looks a bit uncertain right now. it looks a parts of northern, eastern scotla nd a parts of northern, eastern scotland will stay dry for most of the day, but if the rain makes it you it will be rather chilly on sunday. it will not be soaking wet for everybody. enjoy your day. well, we are not going to enjoy sunday, are we? thank you, matt. it isn't his fault, is it? a beautiful sunrise in worcestershire. we will be speaking

to ben later, who is on a hop farm, andi to ben later, who is on a hop farm, and i think he is hoping for the end product. let's stick with these gorgeous views. from the white cliffs of dover to the beaches of york, today begins work on a three—year scheme intended to improve all 2700 miles of england's coastal path. the project will make it the longest coastal path anywhere in the world. it will be a very, very, very long walk. when it is finished in 2020, the england coast path will be 2700 miles long. today i have joined walkers in west somerset, who already use a completed section. as a keen walker, and somebody who loves being by the sea, i think it's wonderful. we are an island nation. having a joined—up path which allows people to walk around the whole of the periphery of the country has to be a good thing. the path will incorporate many existing

routes and add new ones. this was virgin ground. a new path and a new bridge that has been put in. a continuation of the coastal path. along the coast, cafe owner darren taylor says the path is already boosting business. we have seen an increase in visitor numbers since the footpath has been constructed. we're in a lovely location. but there is only one road in and one road out. we have the steam trains behind us, which service the area. there are no buses. it allows me to operate the business 12 months of the year. the coast path is being completed in stages. stretches have already opened in kent, norfolk, cumbria and north yorkshire. it is all possible because of a law change in 2009. that established rights of access along a newly defined coastal margin — stretches of land next to the sea. but some of it is privately owned, and some say the new rights of way

are causing problems. it provides the right for people to walk wherever they like. it is that aspect which creates particular difficulties for the owners of businesses, and particularly for farmers who are trying to graze livestock on the land. natural england are overseeing the path‘s construction. hello, neil. good to see you. a great spot, you can see wales in the distance. it's making everybody‘s coast available to them. what about those landowners who say, hang on a second, this is having an impact on their land, their businesses, in some cases? the coast is complex. we have spent a lot of time working with lots of people to come up with the most flexible solution that works. it's a coastal path, it doesn't go way inland. it takes into account how they use this land, so that we can strike a fair balance. it has cost £25 million so far. it will be the world's longest coastal path. in three years, a distant dream should become reality.

are you feeling comfortable? not really, no. did you really need to us? it is the least comfortable deckchair. we have swapped the sofa for this. next week we will be pitching this up at seaside is across britain, hearing why people feel so strongly about protecting our coastlines. —— seasides. it will be at weston—super—mare next week. i can hear seagulls. it has been elsewhere already, but weston—super—mare on monday. here are some of the other places it has visited. jaunty music. french horn plays.

seagulls screech. it is an impressive deckchair.m it is an impressive deckchair. it is huge. we are eking out the last moments of summer, even though it is september. next week we will also be saying thank you to all the people who go the extra mile to support our seasides. if you know somebody who works hard to make their coastal community better, maybe a deckchair attendant, who would need a strong back to deal with this one, you can nominate them as a bbc breakfast coastal champion next week. tell us what they do and send a photo of them to our website or on facebook,

and we could well feature them on the programme. i am thinking ice cream. i need and knotted handkerchief on my head. we are getting none of it. rain, we are getting none of it. rain, we are getting rain. time to get the news, travel and weather where you are.|j need a winch to get out. hello and good morning from bbc london news. i'm alice salfield. reading buses has apologised to members of the public after a bus attack alarm sounded in the town centre. alarm sounds. recording: this bus is under attack! please call 999! the alarms are only supposed to be used in emergencies, but a driver accidently set it off in a busy part of town earlier in the week, worrying passers by. people instantly assume the worst. it's right near the station and you think, "my god, that bus is about to go down that route right into the station," where it could possibly hurt a lot of people. i'm sorry if this

caused any concern or disturbance, but it sounds like everybody has done exactly what they were supposed to do, which is wake up, pay attention, and make contact with the relevant authorities. queens park rangers will host a celebrity football match tomorrow, to raise money for those affected by the grenfell tower fire. it's not the first initiative from the club to help locals in the aftermath of the disaster. this football programme for children was set up at westway sports centre, in the shadow of the tower. we have got young people here who unfortunately knew people who died in the fire. some of them were in the building on the morning of the fire. we are giving them the opportunity to get away from being in the hotel room, from spending the summer holidays thinking about things which might cause them some distress, and instead come out and enjoy themselves. let's have a look at the travel situation now. rmt staff are on strike, so on southern railways there's no service on the west london line or to and from guildford. all other services are running

normally, including the gatwick express. this is the picture on the roads in dagenham. in bowes park, one lane is blocked on the a406 and north circular westbound, by green lanes, because ofa westbound, by green lanes, because of a broken down car. let's have a check on the weather now with elizabeth rizzini. good morning. summer's over. it's the first day of september, the first day of meteorological autumn, and it's noticeably chilly and autumnal this morning. a few early mist patches around. it should turn into a nice day. lots of good spells of sunshine and most of us will be getting a nice and bright start. it will feel pleasantly warm in the sunshine. just a light breeze today. the small chance of one or two showers breaking out, mostly towards eastern areas. the majority of us should stay dry and we will see temperatures peak at 20 or 21 celsius. through this evening and overnight, most of us should stay dry again.

a few stray showers, maybe. again, it will feel quite chilly, with early mist and fog touches. lows of 11 degrees in town centres, but back into single figures for many rural spots. on saturday a weather front is sitting to the west, as you can see. that won't really make inroads into the south—east of england until we get to sunday. saturday, dry, lots of sunshine, temperatures edging into the low 20s. by the time to sunday afternoon we could see it turning cloudy and wet from the west. i'm back with the latest from the bbc london newsroom in half an hour. now, though, it's back tojon and naga. we have managed to get out of the deckchair and are backing slightly more comfort. good morning. this is breakfast, with and naga munchetty and jon kay. the raf is now the first branch of the british military to open every role in the service to women.

from today, they can apply tojoin the raf regiment, a frontline combat force whose main task is to patrol and protect air—fields. the defence secretary, sir michael fallon, who described the move as a defining moment for the raf, said it's happening a year ahead of schedule. hundreds of thousands of people in birmingham could see piles of rubbish mounting in the streets again as bin—workers resume strike action this morning. last month, industrial action was suspended to allow talks between the council and unions, but the strike is back on again after the council said it was issuing some redundancy notices. this is not now about money, this is about ideology. the council wants to make cuts and it wants the damage trade unionism and they've taken the decision to sabotage an honourable settle m e nt decision to sabotage an honourable settlement that was reached. president trump is expected to ask congress for £4.5 billion of funds to help those affected by storm harvey. the total cost of repairing the damage and compensating

residents whose homes have been affected is estimated to be more than £100 billion. celebrities such as singer beyonce, actors sandra bullock and leonardo dicaprio, have promised to contribute to a disaster fund. president trump says he will give $1 million of his own money. he plans to return to texas tomorrow. the uk must not allow itself to be blackmailed by the european union over the cost of leaving, international trade secretary liam fox has said. he also said that businesses have become impatient with the slow progress of the brexit negotiations. it's very clear that this is notjust in europe, but investors in places, like here injapan, are getting impatient and want to see what the final shape of that arrangement is going to be. they want to know if we will continue to be an open and liberal trading environment and there is a worry that if it's not the sort of agreement britain wants you could end up with impediments

to trade and investment across europe. german police will evacuate about 70,000 people from their homes on sunday, after an unexploded world war two bomb was discovered in frankfurt. it will be one of the biggest operations of its kind in germany since the war. the 1.5 tonne british bomb was nicknamed blockbuster as it was able to wipe out whole streets. frankfurt university, the european central bank and nearby hospitals will also be evacuated. stay with us, matt will be here shortly with the weekend weather. first, let's talk to mike and all those transfers that didn't happen. some £1.4 billion was spent overall in the summer by premier league clu bs. in the summer by premier league clubs. yesterday a loan, the record of 20%, £210 million. but sometimes money isn't enough. let's have a

look at some of the deals that didn't go through and some of the players who were hoping to move, like alexis sanchez, seen as the final piece in the manchester city jigsaw. he wanted to leave to go to manchester city, from arsenal, and he was seen as the answer. he was playing for chile and he told them he was off, it was a done deal, but it didn't happen because arsenal couldn't get their replacement. and soa couldn't get their replacement. and so a bit like when you are trying to buy a house and the chain collapses. nothing happened in the end. one of the biggest deals of the day did involve an arsenal player. you can see him in front of your eyes. alex 0xlade—chamberlain. he did move to liverpool for £35 million, after turning down an original offer from chelsea. chelsea had a bit of a frustrating day because it wasn't just him that turned them down, ross

barkley also rejected a move to sta mford barkley also rejected a move to stamford bridge in order to stay at everton, according to the club's majority shareholder. there are also reports that he had a medical at chelsea before deciding to stay put. chelsea before deciding to stay put. chelsea did get one player they wanted, the leicester star danny drinkwater. he did go. we spoke about him. what a great name, danny drinkwater! and a great player as well. but that's taken a while. this happened after the transfer window closed, but it was announced they were still doing the paperwork. basically, it reunites danny drinkwater with chelsea. that was the partnership that one leicester the partnership that one leicester the premier league title some years ago. there is a still chance that a couple of big transfer deals could go ahead today.

spanish clubs could still be active, meaning philip catania, who has been talked about all summer, they are still insisting he isn't for sale. —— coutinho. this could still happen today. is that just today. is thatjust spain? yes. so it is the only transfer window left open? yes, and riyad mahrez, it didn't happen for him, so he could still go to spain. does that mean spanish clubs could still swoop in and buy from the uk? even though our transport window has closed? that's right. a busy day! thank you. among all the excitement of deadline day, we shouldn't forget that it's international week, with all the home nations involved in world cup qualifiers this weekend. last night, england arrived at their camp in malta ahead of their group f game tonight. england manager gareth southgate

says he knows who will take over from wayne rooney as captain, but feels it should not be the focus of attention. we've focused too much on wayne in particular in the last few years and we've got to start building a more resilient group of leaders and allow them to take responsibility. so, you know, for me, it's not the most important decision. the more important thing is trying to build the group into a stronger group, that they react in the right way collectively. in the same group, scotland badly need to win in lithuania, to keep alive hopes. of getting to at least the playoffs. they're four points off the play off place. they've only won once there before. there is a psychology to it, training to it, information you pass on. it won't be a speech that makes

them feel better, we generally make sure players are prepared and feel co mforta ble, sure players are prepared and feel comfortable, the amount of time they put into it and the training they put into it and the training they put into it and the training they put into it. and northern ireland need to avoid any mishaps tonight against san marino for them to remain on course for a world cup play—off spot. they're currently second in group c behind 2014 winners germay. britain's chris froome is still the man to beat in the vuelta a espana, but a crash and some technical difficulties means his lead has been cut by 20 seconds. the team sky rider fell on the final downhill sector of yesterday's 12th stage. he still has a 59—second lead over his nearest rivals with another nine stages remaining. froome is attempting to become the third man to win the tour de france and vuelta in the same season. the world number one and two time champion rafael nadal is through to the third round of the us open overnight. he came through against

japan's taro daniel in four sets. joining him there will be roger federer, who was pushed all the way for the second time in three days, this time by russia's mikhail youzhny. i know you love your golf, naga, did you know that you could become the crazy golf professional? well, i love golf and i am a little bit crazy. if you are any good you could head to croatia for the masters! how have you not followed them around and done a piece on it? i have now! it is on tomorrow. brilliant! we look forward to that. thanks. staying with how the sporting world is reacting to a tragedy with seen in the uk. it's more than two months on from the devastating fire

at grenfell tower at least 200 people remain in temporary accommodation and many are still waiting for the help they need. olly murs and jarvis cocker are among famous faces from music and sport who will host a charity football match this weekend, to raise funds for those affected. it kicks off at queen park rangers ground, loftus road, which is just a mile away from the site of the fire. we're joined now by the director of football at qpr, les ferdinand. thank you so much for talking to us on breakfast this morning. we'll get to the football match itself first of all. tell us about your connection to the area, because you we re connection to the area, because you were talking to people affect dead at the tower by the fire within hours of taking hold. yeah, first of all, good morning. it was an area where i grew up. i grew up on the lancaster where i grew up. i grew up on the la ncaster west where i grew up. i grew up on the lancaster west estate, so seeing a fire that devastated people and just

like a load of people who have done fantastic things to try to help, i wa nted fantastic things to try to help, i wanted to do my bit to help. so i suggested along with a few other people the match that is about to ta ke people the match that is about to take place. with your connection to people, even though it is taking place at loftus road, this is not just for qpr fans, is it? it's for the whole community. the chairman of the whole community. the chairman of the football club at loftus road opened up the stadium for relief and for donations. i was overwhelmed with the way the community came together. there were donations left outside qpr for the tragedy and so we felt that as a club and for me personally it was something we wa nted personally it was something we wanted to do and show people that we cared and we want to give something back. who have you got involved in this match? who can people see if they get a ticket for the game? marcus mumford. he is a fantastic

musician, and he has been absolutely fantastic. he has done brilliant in his efforts to help this cause. mo farah is turning up and playing. even people who are not going to be playing, we've got linford christie, jamie redknapp. so many people who have given their time. and we've got some special, hopefully, get at half—time as well. —— guests.|j some special, hopefully, get at half-time as well. -- guests. i can imaginejamie half-time as well. -- guests. i can imagine jamie redknapp will be a little bit nifty on the football pitch, that's expected. but what is mo farah‘s game like? pitch, that's expected. but what is mo farah's game like? i've heard he is good. i've not seen him play. he will probably be able to last the 90 minutes. a lot of the others probably won't be able to. are we going to see you on the pitch? there's a lot of dust on the boots, but i am going to dust them off and hopefully play for a period. tell us

what it is like to be back as qpr director? the club where you made your name? it is where it all started. the one place they always wa nt to started. the one place they always want to go back and do something to try to help the club was queens park rangers. they've given me a great opportunity. we've tried hard to get ourselves back in the premier league. it will take some time but it's great being back at loftus road and in the area, to be able to do this. tell us about the area and people now. two months on since the fire, lots of people still not in permanent residence or permanent accommodation at the moment. still some unease about how they are being treated. what are people telling you? how is the community moving forward ? you? how is the community moving forward? there's still a lot of anger because there are still lots of unresolved things. a lot of people are looking to justice and we understand that. a lot of people believe that people don't care, the government don't care. this is our

way of showing that we do care about them. so there's a lot of anger and frustration, but as well there's a lot of goodwill from people in the community and around the world in fa ct, community and around the world in fact, because the donations they've had so far have been fantastic. i do think they know people care, but it's the people higher up you can do things about the situation that they are more concerned about. and there are more concerned about. and there are people like you with a high profile and all other celebrities you've gathered for this game who can makea you've gathered for this game who can make a difference. what do you think game for grenfell does in terms of representing the community? it just shows the terms of representing the community? itjust shows the community terms of representing the community? it just shows the community that people do care. the amount of people who have come together and are coming togetherfor this who have come together and are coming together for this game, there are still a fugitive is available, but the celebrities... it isn't about celebrity, it's about people coming together and showing community that we do really care. and showing that there's life in old dog yet, just in case the dust comes

off your boots? which dogs are you talking about? old dog me, genius footballer you. thanks very much for your time footballer you. thanks very much for yourtime and footballer you. thanks very much for your time and enjoy the game whether your time and enjoy the game whether you are on or off the pitch. thank you. the game for grenfell kicks off tomorrow at 3pm and there are still some tickets available. and they are still looking for players. are you up for it? you should have asked. good morning. the raf will open up every role to women. collectors in birmingham resume strike action after the council begins issuing redundancy notices —— refuse collectors. and matt has the weather this morning. it's a bit nifty! it is. a change of

season today. the start of the new month, meteorology we speaking. in places it's a misty start. if you step out the door it is cool. you might want to grab a warm jacket. under the sunshine it will warm up after actually start. temperatures have been as low as three or four degrees. a few showers in the channel islands. a couple of isolated one scotland. through the day there will be showers in eastern scotla nd day there will be showers in eastern scotland and eastern england. compared with yesterday, where just about anyone saw showers, most of you will be dry through the afternoon and into the evening. temperatures rising into the high teens, maybe low 20s. more of a breeze in south—west england, but it should be dry for many of you. through a six, east anglia, through to the north—east of england, the pennines and south—east scotland, that's where we most likely to see the heavy showers. a couple of

isolated showers in other parts of scotland. most of you stay dry and very pleasant, with light winds and sunny spells. this evening there will be a few showers in parts of eastern england, but then they will fade overnight. with clear skies and light winds, a few mist and fog patches and another chilly night to come. temperatures could be low enoughin come. temperatures could be low enough in parts of rural northern england and into scotland for a touch of frost to start saturday. saturday overall is the driest of the weekend days, because by sunday after a bright and cold start there will be rain pushing on for some of you later, not everyone. certainly saturday has a cracking start. a few mist and fog patches. lots of sunshine overhead. england and wales prone to a couple of isolated showers. the vast majority will stay dry, with sunny spells. feeling pleasa ntly dry, with sunny spells. feeling pleasantly warm. temperatures as they should be. if you've got any plans for saturday evening, any showers that proper will fade away

and into the night it will be dry, clear and cold. not as cold in the west on saturday. that's because we have rain pushing across ireland, wales, south—west england. how far east it gets is uncertain at the moment. it looks like many eastern parts of england, north—east scotla nd parts of england, north—east scotland will stay dry all day, but with increasing cloud. under the rain band it will feel rather chilly. all in all of fairly typical start to the new season. the southern hemisphere, it is the start of spring and let me take you to one of spring and let me take you to one of the driest parts of the planet. unusual winter rains here. a spectacular end to the season and start to spring, with around 200 different types of wildflower blooming. a very unusual sight in this part of the world. after all of the gloomy news, it's nice to have a bit of good news as well. beautiful pictures! very rare in this part of

the world as well. meanwhile, back here, it looks like we are starting —— ending the summer the way we started it, with lots of rain. well, from those flowers, we can go look at hops. the hop harvest is getting under way this week and it's set to be a good year for british farmers. but what will it mean for britain's booming beer industry? ben's on a hop farm in the foothills of the malverns this morning. good morning, ben. good morning to both of you. a glorious morning here in worcestershire. as you can see, the hop harvest is under way this morning. this is one of the biggest farms in the country. they produce enough hops here every year to produce 46 million pints of cask beer every year. so these guys really do have their work cut out

this morning. they hack it down from the top. it goes on this trailer. then it goes down to a processing plant around the corner from here. we will go down there later and show you how all of these leaves and everything else stripped off, and it is just the hops farm needs at the end of it. let me introduce you to ally. good morning. we are looking atan ally. good morning. we are looking at an amazing sight, this big farm you have, and it is all about these tiny things. explain to us how you turn these into beer? so, we put the flour of the plant, and that is all that breweries interested in, —— the brewer is interested in, because inside that rv hop oils. they produce the aromas. this is the goldings variety, one of our oldest

and most traditional varieties, first discovered in 1790. and this year is set to be a pretty good harvest for you guys? why is that, and what is it about worcestershire that makes it such a good place to grow hops? we have great conditions in the uk for growing crops. beautiful deep soil below our feet, and a lovely microclimate here in the foothills of the malverns. all of those things together make it a great area to grow hops. vernon here is from the wye valley brewery. good morning. they grow them, you are the ones that put them to good use and make beer. what do you look for? first and foremost we are looking for the aroma. flavour, first and foremost we are looking forthe aroma. flavour, bitterness, but also aroma. every year, we break apart the hop plants after they are picked. we look inside, we examine the reasons and oils, and crucially

we give them a rub and a sniff, and ican we give them a rub and a sniff, and i can say that this year they are beautiful. —— resins and oils. i can say that this year they are beautiful. -- resins and oils. so this is on par with what grapes mean to wine. given the boom in craft beer, is there a growing interest in hops? yes, more and more we're finding that drinkers of the to know what went into their ear, where it was grown, and at wye valley we are proud that we use, over 80% of our hops come from farms within ten miles of our brewery. we use this variety, goldings hops, in our beer. i will be holding you to taste that there later on. let's talk about exports. the uk is not a huge producer, but it is a pretty niche and important one. germany and the us produce more, but what we produce is really good quality? yes, british ales are world—famous. they are an iconic style of the. no other country in the world makes this particular style of beer. there are

ipas, pilsner is, stouts, but cask conditioned british ale is an inspiration to brewers all over the world. —— pilsners. inspiration to brewers all over the world. -- pilsners. there you have it. i've been learning all of things this morning. earlier i call these things are vines, but i have been corrected, they are called bines, with the letter b. i will continue learning. and i will enjoy a pint later on. so, the difference between vines and bines...? vines later on. so, the difference between vines and bines. . . ? vines offer grapes, clearly, but bines are for hops. clearly. i never knew that. that would have been a perfect question for quizmaster richard osmond, who isjoining us later on. yes, it would! he knows everything. i hope he isn't watching right now. we can ask him. think of ballet classes and you probably picture a room full of young children in leotards. but now an increasing number of pensioners are learning

to pirouette in a bid to combat the affects of ageing. such is the demand for more mature ballet classes, that the royal academy for dance is rolling out lessons across the uk for the over—55s. our reporter lara rostron is with a class right now in south london. i bet you are getting a run for your money when it comes to flexibility and getting a leg up on that are. —— that bar. good morning. they are over 55, but i feel much older in terms of flexibility. i am at the royal academy of dancing battersea, with these wonderful silver swans. the class has proved so popular it is being rolled out across the country. michelle groves joins is being rolled out across the country. michelle grovesjoins me, director of education and training here. why is it the swans lessons,

not adult dozens? i think he silver swans brings together people who have a real passion for ballet, and with teachers that understand the needs of the older learners. teachers need to do some special teaching, don't they, because bodies are not as supple as when you are young? no, they are not as supple. and older learners learn differently to younger people as well. those classes accommodate those needs. thank you, michelle. i am going to enter the class and speak to one of our dancers. pieter, you began dancing at 60? what do you get out of it?|j pieter, you began dancing at 60? what do you get out of it? i love it. it makes me feel fantastic. my bodyis it. it makes me feel fantastic. my body is bigger, tighter, taller, and ijust body is bigger, tighter, taller, and i just feel body is bigger, tighter, taller, and ijust feel much body is bigger, tighter, taller, and i just feel much more body is bigger, tighter, taller, and

ijust feel much more supple and i walk with a spring in my step. you certainly do. i will let you get back to it. we can shimmy through the class. you might notice that amongst the is silver swans is a rather famous swan. angela rupert! hello. i am an ambassador for the silver swans, yes. it is absolutely fantastic for me, i have been associated with don since i was four yea rs associated with don since i was four years olds and someone to ballet classes, but i have never professionally. —— associated with dance. but i have done the english classical ballet, morecambe and wise, of course. why is it so important to get over 55s into ballet? i think it is important to get everybody dance in one way or another. we have proven scientifically that it is the full mind and body exercise. nothing else ticks all the boxes for giving you, as you can see with the ladies here in the class, for giving you poisoned balance and strength, flicks ability. —— poise and balance

and strength, flexibility. and you have a wonderful time, because you are socially involved with other people. as we get older it is really important that we keep that muscle strength going, because your knees get creaky, york gets creaky, and you suddenly find that perhaps you can't do the things you'd did when you were younger. “— can't do the things you'd did when you were younger. —— your back gets creaky. the exercise we were doing just now, using your arms, even somebody who is bedridden or in a wheelchair, you can do that. you feel your shoulders moving, you feel everything moving. it doesn't do you any harm. thank you, angela. and so much better than going to the gym, so much more social, better for the mind. you go to the gym and you come away with a bucketload of sweat and aches and pains. you come out of a class like this feeling on top of the world. and there is an age

barrier to ballet, as we have seen. thank you. the grace of angela rippon and all the women in that class is pretty stunning, isn't it? where are the blokes? well, they are missing out. did you ever do ballet classes ? missing out. did you ever do ballet classes? no. that probably answers my own question. time to get the news, travel and weather where you are. hello and good morning from bbc london news. i'm alice salfield. reading buses has apologised to members of the public after a bus attack alarm sounded in the town centre. alarm sounds. recording: this bus is under attack! please call 999! the alarms are only supposed to be used in emergencies, but a driver accidently set it off in a busy part of town earlier in the week, worrying passers by. people instantly assume the worst. it's right near the station and you think, "my god, that bus is about to go down that route right into the station," where it could possibly

hurt a lot of people. i'm sorry if this caused any concern or caused a stir, but it sounds like everybody has done exactly what they were supposed to do, which is wake up, pay attention, and then make contact with the relevant authorities. queens park rangers will host a celebrity football match tomorrow, to raise money for those affected by the grenfell tower fire. it's not the first initiative from the club to help locals in the aftermath of the disaster. this football programme for children was set up at westway sports centre, in the shadow of the tower. we have got young people here who unfortunately knew people who died in the fire. some of them were in the building on the morning of the fire. we are giving them the opportunity to get away from being in the hotel room, from spending the summer holidays thinking about things which might cause them some distress, and instead come out and enjoy themselves. let's have a look at the travel situation now. a good service on the tube so far.

but on southern, members of the rmt are on strike again today. so there's no service on the west london line, or to orfrom guildford. a full service is expected on all other routes, though, including the gatwick express. and on the roads in bowes park, one lane is blocked on the a406 north circular westbound. let's have a check on the weather now with elizabeth rizzini. good morning. yesterday was wet and chilly but today, happily, things are looking up. a much nicer day of weather. a bit of a cool start, but lots of sunshine through the morning. later on we will have cloud, sunny spells and heavy showers in the afternoon. early mist patches around. they will not last long. we saw single figures last night so it is a cool start. lots of sunshine around. morkel are developing through the morning and showers breaking out. some of those showers breaking out. some of those showers will be heavy, perhaps a

rumble or two of thunder. pretty widespread. temperatures higher than yesterday, though, and top temperatures around 20. the showers will grumble on for a time in the evening before fading away. another chilly night to come. temperatures will go back to single figures away from the towns, so there will be missed again tomorrow morning and into tomorrow. a nice day, more in the way of sunshine. again, a fuchsia hours. mostly in eastern areas. top temperatures around 21 celsius. it is looking mostly dry again on the weekend. the best of the sunshine will be on saturday. i'm back with the latest from the bbc london newsroom in half an hour. bye for now. hello. this is breakfast with naga munchetty and jon kay. the raf becomes the first british military service to allow women to serve in every role. from today they can apply for combat duties on the front line. the army and royal marines will follow next year. good morning.

it's friday the 1st of september. also on breakfast this morning: the birmingham bin strike is back on. some workers have been issued with redundancy notices, and there are fears that mountains of waste will start piling up on the streets again. customers are told to "suck it up" as the eu bans vacuum cleaners which are too noisy or powerful. good morning. we are on the hop harvest in worcestershire this week. it is set to be up bumper crop, and thatis it is set to be up bumper crop, and that is good news for the booming business of craft beer in the uk. in sport, more money spent than ever before, but in late drama on transfer deadline day, alexis sanchez's move from arsenal to manchester city fell through — one of several

big deals that stalled. and matt has your weekend weather. good morning. we saw ben with the harvest, it must be autumn! meteorologically speaking, anyway. many will be dry this afternoon, details mattered the full weekend forecast coming up. see you then. first our main story. the raf is now the first branch of the british military to open every role in the service to women. from today, they can apply tojoin the raf regiment, a front—line combat force whose main task is to patrol and protect airfields. the defence secretary, sir michael fallon, has described the move, which is a year ahead of schedule, as a defining moment for the raf. our correspondent mark lobel has got the details. this is significant moment for the raf. the first branch of the british military to open up all areas of the service to men and women. women can already fly planes. but now they can apply to join the raf‘s currently all—male infantry combat unit, which patrols

and protects airfields. they fought in afghanistan and suffered casualties. the raf regiment is relatively small, just over 2,000 strong, and with women making up about 10% of the air force as a whole, there's unlikely to be a flood of applications. lastjuly, former pm david cameron overturned hundreds of years of military tradition to allow women to take up front—line fighting jobs. in april, the royal armed corps opened its doors to females. pm theresa may was there to witness the graduation at sandhurst of the first recruits. today, it's the raf‘s ground fighting force opening its doors. and by the end of next year, women should be able tojoin the even more physically demanding army infantry unit and the royal marines. not everyone welcomes these changes, but after studies concluded women are up for the fight, now potential recruits can take up their right.

hundreds of thousands of people in birmingham could see piles of rubbish mounting in the streets again as bin—workers resume strike action this morning. last month industrial action was suspended to allow talks between the council and unions — but the strike is back on again after the council said it was issuing some redundancy notices. emma thompson reports. a summer of discontent for birmingham's bin men. almost two months of unemptied bins has caused chaos for the city's residents. last night they got word it's set to continue. i think it's disgusting how long it's gone on. there's got to be a resolution that they can come to quickly. i think it's a service that's quite underappreciated, really, and i think they do a great job and i think the cuts are unnecessary, really. the streets have been smelling very badly and somehow there's got to be a way of reaching a compromise.

a council statement confirmed that all grade three bin staff would be issued with redundancy notices today. the council's leader insists staff will be offered alternative roles of the same pay. unite says this move is deeply provocative and that their members will return to the picket lines today. they can't screw the agreement up. we honoured our side and we paused the industrial action and we want it to stop permanently. if a ballot of union members approves it, the strike could continue until christmas. emma thomas, bbc news. president trump is expected to ask congress for £4.5 billion pounds of funds to help those affected by storm harvey. the total cost of repairing the damage and compensating residents whose homes have been affected is estimated to be more than £100 billion. celebrities like beyonce,

sandra bullock and leonardo dicaprio have promised to contribute to a disaster fund. president trump says he will give $1 million of his own money. he plans to return to texas tomorrow. the uk must not allow itself to be blackmailed by the european union over the cost of leaving, international trade secretary liam fox has said. he also said that businesses have become impatient with the slow progress of the brexit negotiations. it's very clear that businesses not just in europe but investors in places like here injapan are getting impatient, and want to see what that final shape of that arrangement is going to be. they want to know that there'll continue to be an open and liberal trading environment in europe, and there's a worry that if it's not the sort of agreement that britain wants, you could end up with impediments to trade and investment across europe that don't exist today. nearly half of young, low—paid parents are struggling to juggle childcare with the demands of work, according to a survey for the tuc.

researchers found nearly a third of parents had resorted to taking annual leave to cover their child being sick. irregular hours were also blamed, with many parents feeling at the mercy of employers who are able to change their hours at short notice. german police will evacuate about 70,000 people from their homes on sunday after an unexploded world war ii bomb was discovered in frankfurt. it will be one of the biggest operations of its kind in germany since the war. the 1.5 tonne british bomb was nicknamed blockbuster, as it was able to wipe out whole streets. frankfurt university, the european central bank and nearby hospitals will also be evacuated. sales of the noisiest and most powerful vacuum cleaners will be restricted under eu rules from today. machines using more than 900 watts and emitting more than 80 decibels will be banned from sale when existing stocks run out. our environment analyst roger harrabin explains. some of these vacuum cleaners will be on the banned

list from today. they guzzle too much energy. cleaners like this sebo automatic gobble 1100 watts. that's too high for new european standards, so this model is on the way out. anti—eu campaigners say europe should have no say in the sort of vacuum cleaner that you buy. but experts say households can save a small fortune on electricity bills if only the least efficient machines can be driven off the market. there's no dispute that eu standards are forcing down energy use and cutting carbon emissions. but are they really worthwhile? the manufacturers claim they are prepared for it. consumers are really not prepared for the performances they will experience from the machines. so will the uk keep european standards after brexit?

the government won't say. we'll have to suck it and see. a rare hen harrier being tracked as part of a conservation programme has disappeared on a grouse moor in scotland. the rspb says the bird hasn't been seen since the first day of the official grouse—shooting season, and is appealing for anyone with information to get in touch. hen harrier are one of britain's rarest birds and there are only 550 breeding pairs in the uk. if you're heading back to the office after your summer holidays, here is some news. the majority of britons looking forward to going to work in the morning according to a survey for bbc radio 4 i've live. two thirds of us enjoy ourjobs on most days, eight out of ten others are proud of what we do in a days work. but the research also revealed that more than a third of us have thought about quitting in the last month. i

can honestly say i enjoy myjob every day. you've never thought about quitting? are you going to be here until the end of the show? if you behave! it is nine minutes past eight. thank you forjoining us here on breakfast. we will have the weather with matt in a moment, and ben is on a hop farm in the malvern is. whenjane tomlinson was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2000, she devoted the rest of her life to raising more than £2 million for charity. she completed feats of endurance that would have tested even the fittest person. ten years on from her death, jane's husband mike is here to tell us about the success of the charity set up in her name. we'll speak to mike in a moment, but first let's remind ourselves about some of jane's extraordinary achievements. there is a lot of life to live. you might get a diagnosis of cancer,

and certainly that doesn't mean that things are going to be as devastating it is for us. and if you're told your cancer‘s not going to be cured, you still might have a lot of life to live. i'm not saying to people, go out and run, that'll make your life better. what i'm trying to say to people is that you still have life to live, and make the most it. don't get caught up in the fact that of the times you're going to miss, what you're not going to see because you're going to die earlier than you should do.

enjoy your life and make the most of it. the amazing jane tomlinson, who died ten yea rs the amazing jane tomlinson, who died ten years ago this weekend. mike tomlinson is here in the studio with us. we said you are here to talk about the work jane has we said you are here to talk about the workjane has done, we said you are here to talk about the work jane has done, but you have an announcement as well in terms of how much money has been raised for the charity. yes, it has gone over 10 million for the jane tomlinson appeal, and the charities that benefit from the runs, so it is a bit mind blowing, to be perfectly honest. completely, because when jane decided to embark on this mission to raise money and do these incredible physical feats,

mission to raise money and do these incredible physicalfeats, i can't imagine that £10 million was the target in her mind, was it? no, it was £5,000! you just don't realise, because we are just an ordinary family. even £5,000 seemed an unrealistic goal of the time. but obviously what jane did was phenomenal, and i think thatjust caught people's imagination, just a northern mum who has never done any exercise before, being told she is going to die and then four years later to do an ironman, it isjust too hard to believe, really. and she raised nearly £2 million before she died, that you kept as a foundation raising that extra £8 million, which is just raising that extra £8 million, which isjust astonishing. how raising that extra £8 million, which is just astonishing. how have you done it? we have a series of runs that take place through yorkshire and the east midlands and across the north, so we have 13 this year. we

have had 80,000 people running this year. people can run for whatever charity they want, but the yorkshire marathon in three or four weeks, charity they want, but the yorkshire marathon in three orfour weeks, i think we have 12,000 people taking part, so they are big events. as you have tried to come to terms with her death and losing her and grieving, how important has it been for you to keep going with the charity in her name and for her to live on through that? it wasn't in the terms of dealing with her death. you deal with it... it a bit of a distraction from that. the importance was, i thinkjane had done such a lot of work, and £2 million seems a lot of money, but when you looked what she did,i money, but when you looked what she did, ifelti money, but when you looked what she did, i felt i had money, but when you looked what she did, ifelt i had underachieved when she was alive. why do you need so much money? what are the quantities you need in order to make these better, the postcode lottery of cancer treatment, for example. we're doing some research. jane had a

treatment before she died which made a huge improvement of her life, when athletes put their tape over their muscles, she had it around her chest to hold her vital organs in place, and within minutes of the tape being put on for the first time, it dramatically improved her life, and no one had really done it before. she was lucky enough to have a really good uk athletics physio to do it, and since then, jane said it made such a difference to her life, we have been investing part of the money we raise it to seeing whether it will work for other cancer patients, and so on. the money goes farand patients, and so on. the money goes far and wide. lots of local causes, especially since jane died, there has been cut backs and so on, so the money we raise can alleviate people's suffering. it sounds like you intend to go on with this, the

charity continues? of course. if we give up, that money will dry up to people who need it. from our point of view, it is not really about jane's name or what we do, it is trying to do as much good as we can, and all our energies go to that. people say life is funny and odd. you were reluctant to look at the report we had ofjane and the memories of jane, it report we had ofjane and the memories ofjane, it must be, how do you move on knowing that the work you move on knowing that the work you do every day is tied to her name? and your memories? yeah, the images are there all the time. it's jane tomlinson's run, there is no getting away from it. the grief part i think is affects all of us differently and one of the biggest adjustments is becoming like a

single parent and still having the kids and bringing them up, whenjane diedi kids and bringing them up, whenjane died i was still working full—time. that adjustment to life is quite a shock. jane had been poorly for yea rs, shock. jane had been poorly for years, but she died very quickly. the grief part, you know, if i was to do television and radio interviews today and hearjane's voice all day, i will at some point, dissolve and i don't want to. i want to remain focussed and almost professional and grieve when i get home tonight. amazing work you are doing. lovely of you to talk to us on the sofa and be to honest. we wish you all the best with the fundraising and the family and the children. i am sure she would be massively proud of you and them and eve ryo ne massively proud of you and them and everyone involved in the charity. ten million, congratulations. thank you. matt has the weather. good morning. the start of autumn

may not be until 22 september, for us it is today. mist on the water there in cambridgeshire, an indication of something more autumn nal outside. a chilly start but it will feel like summer this afternoon. not the level of showers we have seen the past few days. a few in scotland, we will see more develop across england into the afternoon. the showers at the moment in the channel islands will dispeer. most will have a fine afternoon. lots of sunshine around, feeling warm, more breeze the western fringes of wales, devon and cornwall, compared with yesterday, but 234 in the sun it will feel warm enough for most. further east a chance of showers, mainly from essex through parts of east anglia, to lincolnshire, north—east england, eastern scotland and they could be heavy through the afternoon. most places will probably have one or two isolated showers away from it. the

vast majority will be dry. scotland and northern ireland light winds and and northern ireland light winds and a pleasant afternoon. we do see the showers rumble on into the evening across eastern parts of england before they fade. tonight we will see clear skies for many. like last night, mist and fog patches will form and a autumn chill in the air into the start of the weekend. temperatures low enough for a touch of frost in parts of scotland and northern england in particular. but it will be a fine start to the weekend. the weekend almost split into two halves. most places dry on saturday. while we start dry on sunday for many there will be some, not all, but you will still rain arrive. to get us there saturday, lovely day, one or two showers impping up, lovely day, one or two showers popping up, very isolated, mainly on the hills of england and wales. the vast majority avoiding them and staying dry. good lengthy sunny spells and with winds light temperatures as they should be for this time of year. the evening will be fine if you have any plans. turning cool quickly and then cloud increasing to the west and that

brings that different day i mentioned for sunday. most start dry and bright, chilly start, driest for longest across parts of northern and eastern scotland and eastern england could stay dry all day. the question comes how quickly the rain moves in from the west. a west start in the west. eastern areas holding on to the sunshine for longest. maybe something milder into the south—west later. we are into the new season, the weather probably where it should be for the time of year. chilly by night but today and tomorrow most have a decent amount of sunshine too. back to you both. thank you very much. farmers always watch the weather forecast closely. and live there to worcestershire. would you be able to identify those as hops if you hadn't seen them before? of course! i wouldn't. i love the way we learn

something new every day. ben is getting stuck in. morning. that's not me. we are having a break! we have been helping with the harvest or maybe hindering the harvest, but down here right on the edge of the hills it's a glorious stuff. the hops all come from here. you can see how much they've to do. this is stuff they've harvested already but they've 100 stuff they've harvested already but they've100 acres here. it means it's going to take them five weeks to harvest it all. look at some of the rest they've still got to go through. they're the rest they've still got to go through. they‘ re harvesting the rest they've still got to go through. they're harvesting this, these are the hops. the hops, just this bit, the fruit, the flou irthey need to turn into beer. they'll dry it in need to turn into beer. they'll dry itina need to turn into beer. they'll dry it in a factory and start turning that into beer. it is a huge site but it's such good growing conditions, perfect morning like this for them to harvest. they've enough hops here to create 46

million pints of cask beer every year. quite a party goes on down here i think. the harvest is under way for what is going to be a bumper crop for them this year. we have been spoiled with views today. cheers, ben. great views again. from the white cliffs of dover to the beaches of norfolk, today work begins on a three—year scheme to improve england's coastal path, all 2,700 miles of it. the project will make it the longest coastal path in the world. tim muffett has been speaking to walkers in west somerset. it will be a very, very, very long walk. when it is finished in 2020, the england coast path will be 2,700 miles long. today i have joined walkers in west somerset, who already use a completed section.

as a keen walker, and somebody who loves being by the sea, i think it's wonderful. we are an island nation. having a joined—up path which allows people to walk around the whole of the periphery of the country has to be a good thing. the path will incorporate many existing routes and add new ones. this was virgin ground. a new path and a new bridge that has been put in. it's a continuation of the coastal path. along the coast, cafe owner darren taylor says the path is already boosting business. we have seen an increase in visitor numbers since the footpath has been constructed. we're in a lovely location. but there is only one road in and one road out. we have the steam trains behind us, which service the area. there are no buses. it allows me to operate the business 12 months of the year. the coast path is being completed in stages.

stretches have already opened in kent, norfolk, cumbria and north yorkshire. it is all possible because of a law change in 2009. that established rights of access along a newly defined coastal margin — stretches of land next to the sea. but some of it is privately owned, and some say the new rights of way are causing problems. it provides the right for people to walk wherever they like. it is that aspect which creates particular difficulties for the owners of businesses, and particularly for farmers who are trying to graze livestock on the land. natural england are overseeing the path's construction. hello, neil. good to see you. a great spot, you can see wales in the distance. it's making everybody‘s coast available to them. what about those landowners who say, hang on a second, this is having an impact on their land, their businesses, in some cases? the coast is complex.

we have spent a lot of time working with lots of people to come up with the most flexible solution that works. it's a coastal path, it doesn't go way inland. it takes into account how they use this it has cost £25 million so far. it will be the world's longest coastal path. in three years, a distant dream should become reality. we thought we would get a deckchair co mforta ble we thought we would get a deckchair comfortable for two! this is going to be pitching up at seasides across britain. this deckchair will be in weston—super—mare on monday.

let's have a look at some of the other places it's already visited. jaunty music. french horn plays. seagulls screech. we could use this for good. how

would we talk to our guests? if you know someone who works hard to make their coastal community better, then why not nominate them as a bbc breakfast coastal champion. tell us what they do and send a photo of them to bbcbrea kfast@bbc. co. uk or via our facebook page. we might feature them on the programme. time now to get the news, travel and weather where you are. good morning. the 1st of september, and meteorological speaking, the first day of autumn. it has been chilly this morning, but for most of us it will be dry with sunny spells. early mist and fog clearing away quickly, fairweather cloud developing into lunchtime on this afternoon, but for much of scotland and northern ireland, it will remain dry. but for england and wales, showers across eastern areas, particularly around the pennines,

the vale of york and towards lincolnshire. further west, certainly it should stay dry during the afternoon, and temperatures typically getting up to around 18-21d. typically getting up to around 18—21d. through the evening, those showers across eastern areas will clear away, and with clearing skies into the start of the weekend, once again it is going to turn quite chilly, these are your temperatures in towns and cities, but head into the countryside and they will be fairly low into single figures. the weekend starts off on a fairly dry note with some sunshine, but by sunday, rain is going to spread in from the west. let's have a look at that on saturday morning, lots of dry weather around, just the odd light shower developing. the emphasis is on a dry day, and it will feel quite warm through the afternoon. into sunday, things will

go downhill. after a bright start in eastern areas, the cloud spreads in from the west, and fairly quickly in the morning the rain spreads into these western areas, gradually moving towards the east by the evening. quite breezy conditions as well, and temperatures into the high teens. this is business live from bbc news with susannah streeter and rachael horne. the uk must not allow itself to be blackmailed over its brexit divorce bill. those are the words of britain's international trade minister. but is he right or should the uk pay up? live from london, that's our top story on friday the first of september. one of the uk's top politicians says the eu should get on with negotiating a post—brexit trade arrangement. but they're insisting the divorce bill must be settled first.

we're going to discuss who the likely winner is from this mexican standoff. also in the programme: